Dresses And Bows
by TheLittleMermano
Summary: The one person who looked like they were a fragile doll; a white, frilly dress that went a little past their knees, pale pink flats to match, with white gloves to disguise the person's rather masculine hands. that person was Lovino Vargas. and he was about to meet someone really, really important.
1. Chapter 1

The small café was filled with warm light from the now setting sun. it was quiet, only the sound of fingers tapping the keys of their laptops, or soft clinking of forks brushing against plates could be heard.

All the people here were different, but one seemed to stand out more than others. The one person who looked like they were a fragile doll; a white, frilly dress that went a little past their knees, pale pink flats to match, with white gloves to disguise the person's rather masculine hands.

This person is Lovino Vargas.

Lovino slowly stirred the coffee in front of him, his eyes darting around the room. Good, no one was staring. Weird looks and rude comments were apart of his daily life, since apparently a boy in a dress was a weird thing. That was one of the many things Lovino didn't understand. Why did people gender clothes? Why were girls the only ones who could wear dresses? It was dumb.

People always asked why he dressed 'like a girl.'. and he never could provide an answer people would like. He was comfortable, that was it. It made him feel good about himself. It made him feel pretty, and likeable. Men's clothes were boring, anyways. He always did prefer feminine things…

He tried to ignore the stares and mean comments, but they eventually got the best of them, and he started wearing a wig. A long, curly one that swayed when he walked. the Brightside of it? He felt even prettier. He still got a couple weird looks, but most people saw him as a girl. And he didn't mind.

People who weren't ignorant about such things always asked him if he was transgender, and he always wondered why. Just because someone doesn't hit the stereotypes for their gender doesn't mean they're trans. (it doesn't mean they aren't, either.)

But he didn't care what pronouns people used, or how they thought of him. If they thought about him as a girl, or a boy, or non-binary; he didn't mind. He did mind everyone trying to label his gender, though. '_oh, sounds to me like you're genderqueer.' 'you're just trans.' 'well sometimes you dress like a boy and sometimes you dress like a girl so you're bigender or genderfluid.' _

He just wanted to be able to label _himself_ instead of others doing it for him. Same was for his sexuality, but that's a whole other story.

The small bell on the door jingled, and a young man walked in. he had short brown hair and tan skin, and carried himself like he _knew _he was important.

The man's eye flickered around the room before his eyes landed on the 'woman' sitting at the table in the corner. The corners of his lips tugged into a smile and the tempo of his heart sped up. He knew he'd seen that girl somewhere before, but couldn't remember where. Maybe it was just déjà vu, or maybe his mind was just trying to convince him to go talk to her. Whatever it was, he was going to.

He walked up to the counter and quickly ordered his drink, glancing over at the girl every once and a while.

"put it on my tab," the man told the cashier with a smile before taking his drink and walking over to the table next to the girl.

Lovino glanced at him and smiled. _He's pretty cute. _he thought. _He'd probably think I'm a freak though._

"I like your dress.." the man said softly with a smile.

Lovino nodded and looked down. He figured his voice would give him away. Although he wasn't sure why he wanted to keep his identity hidden, anyways.

The man let out a quiet chuckle and took a sip of his coffee, cringing as he remembered that he didn't give it anytime to cool off.

Lovino took out a small notepad and pen from his purse and wrote 'are you alright?' before he reached over and placed it on the man's table. Good thing he always kept a notepad around. Just for this reason, too.

The man frowned in confusion and glanced at the notepad before his smile returned. "yeah.. I'm fine. Thanks. What's your name?"

_Should I? no.. _Lovino thought with a sigh and gingerly picked his coffee cup up. He slowly stood up, a feminine demeanor more forced than usual. He pulled the chair opposite of the man's out and sat down. He took the notepad again, 'Cali.' He wrote. he was genuinely surprised he could finally put his middle name to use. Or at least part of it.

The young man smiled as Lovino placed the notepad in the middle of the table."Cali? pretty name. mine's Antonio."

Lovino waved shyly as a greeting, and forced his gaze to the floor.

"I don't want to come off as nosy or whatever.. but can you talk?"

Lovino bit his lip and nodded.

"oh, so you're teasing me?" Antonio chuckled and rested his chin in his hands. _She's really, really cute. _he thought.

'maybe.' Lovino wrote on the notepad. He glanced at the clock on the wall and his eyes widened in panic. His parents would be home soon. He quickly wrote his number and 'text me' on the notepad before quickly standing up and walking out the door.

"wai-…" Antonio frowned and let his gaze follow her before falling on the notepad again. "well..at least I have her number.." he sighed.

Lovino kicked off his flats and briskly picked them up before running towards his house. Half an hour. If he wasn't back before then, he'd be in some serious trouble. _Really serious _trouble.

He got a few weird looks; of course anyone wearing a fancy dress, and running as fast as they could, would get weird looks.

He finally got to his house and with a shaky hand took the keys from his purse and unlocked the door. He walked inside, pushed the door closed with his foot before briskly waking into his room.

He pulled off his wig and shoved it into the closet along with his shoes. With a bit of trouble he unzipped his dress and let it fall to the floor, then unhooked his bra, taking out the many tissues before letting it fall to the floor as well.

"c'mon.." he mumbled to himself, glancing at the clock as he sat on the bed. Ten minutes. That should be plenty of time, right? And then his cell phone rang. What if it was Antonio? Oh no.. he didn't have time!

He ignored his phone and worked on unclipping the garters for his stockings. Why did he even have these? Oh, yeah, adds to the cuteness. Even _if _no one saw them. Soon the garters, and stockings were off. And then went the gloves.

He scrambled to his closet to get his boy clothes, and quickly slipped them on. T-shirt and cargo shorts. Good enough.

He gathers up all his stuff and shoved it under the bed where the rest of his feminine things were.

Oh no. his make-up.

He rushed to the bathroom and grabbed a paper towel, running it under the sink and scrubbed his face with it. Eyeliner was so hard to get off without makeup remover… and so was lipstick. Five minutes.

"good enough." He grumbled, combing his hair down. Except for that weird curl he had…

He sighed and checked himself in front of the mirror, just in case he forgot something. Nope. He was good.

He made his way back to his room and flopped down on the bed. "Finally.. I can relax."

"Lovino!"

"What Mom?" he called back. really? he just sat down...

"can you walk down to the grocery store and get a few things for me?"

Why not make one of his brother's do it? Ugh. and they were _just _out. why didn't they just do it?

Regardless, he walked back into the hallway and was handed a piece of paper. A list, he assumed. He nodded and walked to the front door _again._ As he walked out the door he noticed Antonio making his way down the street. _please don't_ _recognize me.. _Lovino thought.

Lovino walked down the front steps and walked towards the grocery store just down the street. Antonio caught up to him. _No._

"have I seen you before?.." Antonio asked quietly with a frown.

"no," Lovino said hesitantly, and looked away as he kept walking.

"you sure?" _he's cute. _he thought to himself with a slight smirk, _wait, no, I'm already interested in one person. And I think she likes me, too. I can't let her down._

"of course I am, jerk. Leave me alone. I don't even know you."

"well.. I'm Antonio. I'm your new neighbor." Antonio gestured to the house next to Lovino's with a smile.

_Oh. Oh no. neighbor? This was bad. Really, really bad._


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, Lovino's parents left. Again. They worked all day, and his brother's were currently going to a day camp that lasted all month. So he had the house to himself most of the time, which was a usually rare occurrence.

His family wasn't bad, really, but they weren't very good either.

His family consisted of his two brothers, Feliciano and Piero, And his Stepmom and his.. 'Grandpa'. His grandpa was really his Dad, but insisted on being called Grandpa, for some strange reason no one knew. But they all learned to just roll with it.

His parents were conservative, and weren't afraid to speak their thoughts about certain things such as non-straight sexualities, gender identity, and etcetera. Luckily Feliciano and Piero were much more laid back, since they knew Lovino wasn't straight. And Feliciano himself was questioning as well, so he definitely didn't speak many words of hate. But the problem was mostly his Stepmom. When she came into the family everything changed; there were more rules, more chores, earlier curfews, and dumb things like that.

And when you're a crossdresser, living in a conservative household isn't the greatest environment.

Lovino sighed heavily as he adjusted his wig. That thing with Antonio was going to be tricky. He'd have to have a double life, which didn't sound too appealing. Lovino was the boy next door, and Cali was the pretty girl from the café, the potential love interest.

He contemplated why he had to live a double life. If Antonio and he had a chance of getting together, Antonio would have to know that he was a boy. What if Antonio wasn't into guys? He didn't want to be shot down because he wasn't actually a girl. And if Antonio found out, what would he say? Would he call him names? Would he tell other people, or would he be nice and keep it a secret? Maybe he'd try to make friends with Antonio as Lovino before doing anything else as Cali. But what if he ran into Antonio again, while dressed as a girl? He didn't want to have to dress like a boy for months until he became close with Antonio. Screw that, he was just gonna roll with it.

He spun around in front of the mirror with a small smile. This dress, without a doubt, was his favorite. And it was the most expensive, too. Light pink with a candy print skirt, and a frilly bodice. The sleeves were somewhat poofy, with lace at the wrists. Perfect. And the icing on the cake was his shows, little black heels with a small buckle on them. And of course, his signature gloves.

His friend in middle school would always wear these stunning dresses, each one breathtaking in their own way. Dresses with fluffy skirts and lacy trim, stockings with pastel patterns and buckled or ribboned shoes, and she looked beautiful. Every day, without fail, she looked stunning. One day he asked her why she dressed like that. She told him it was called Lolita, a street fashion from where she lived.

Next time he went over to her house, she showed him all of her dresses, and accessories. And that was it, he fell in love. He asked to try one on, and she happily let him. Ecstatic, he asked if he could buy one from her. He saved up and bought one of her old dresses from her, even though he knew he could only where it when he was alone. He soon learned that a boy in a dress wasn't normal. ..But that was an entirely different story.

With a confident stride he stepped outside and locked the door behind him.

"Hey, Cali!"

Oh no. Lovino quickly looked towards the house next to his own. Sure enough, there was Antonio, sitting on the front steps of his house. This was some seriously unfortunate timing. Despite his nervousness, he waved at Antonio and carefully walked down the steps of his own house before walking over to Antonio's.

"I didn't know you lived there! Are you Lovino's sister?" Antonio asked with an excited grin.

With a hesitant pause, Lovino nodded. What else was he supposed to do?

"Wow! Okay.. well… Will you talk today?.."

Lovino shook his head. _In your dreams.._ He thought.

"But i'm sure you have such a pretty voice.." Antonio whined. "..you look beautiful today, by the way."

He smiled shyly and looked down. He loved hearing that. _…especially_ from a hot guy.

"Where are you going? If you don't mind me asking..."

Lovino thought for a moment. Where _was_ he going? He shrugged.

"Would you like to hang out with me?" Antonio asked.

Yes? No? Ugh, how could he turn down _this._ He hesitated another moment before nodding.

Antonio grinned, and light filled his eyes. "Let's go!" He grabbed Lovino's hand and started running.

Lovino frowned as he tried to keep up with him. Heels weren't exactly great running shoes. He didn't like it when people touched his hand when he was dressed as a girl, since if they felt his hands… they'd know.

But Antonio didn't seem to notice his love interests rather… masculine hands.

Multiple things could lead to him having to out himself, though.

Antonio was running to that same café, the one that they met at yesterday. He would have thought he would've gone somewhere more interesting, somewhere they could actually do something. He didn't mind, though.

Antonio opened the door for him, the bell of the café ringing as it alerted the baristas of new customers. Except Lovino wasn't exactly new here.

They sat at the same table as they did the day before, and Antonio pulled a chair out for him.

Lovino smiled, and sat down. _He's quite a gentleman, _he thought. _…At least to girls…_

"Do you want me to get you anything?" Antonio asked eagerly.

Lovino shook his head again. He didn't want to talk, nor would he want to trouble Antonio.

"…Alright… I won't have anything either, then." Antonio kissed his hand before sitting down across from him.

Lovino suddenly became tense, and felt his face heat up. _How did he not already know?_

Antonio smiled, lightly running his thumb over Lovino's hand. He rested his chin in his other hand, smiling at him and staring dreamily.

Was.. Was this his idea of a date?

Whatever he thought they were doing, Lovino didn't like it. If he kept this up, he'd be found out before he knew it.

A few people passed by them, giving Lovino a dirty look. They obviously noticed that Lovino wasn't a girl.

Lovino looked down, and Antonio must have noticed the people who walked by.

"You're beautiful," He stated.

He became tense again, and shifted in his chair.

"Why do people give you weird looks?"

He couldn't answer that. He was a seventeen year old boy, it should be painfully obvious he was male. Was it the wig? Was it the make up? Was it the dress? The gloves? The shoes? Was it any of the things society told men they shouldn't wear, therefore whenever they saw someone wearing any of those things, labeled them as a girl?

But once people spoke to him, or spent a few minutes with him, they knew he was a girl. _Why didn't Antonio know already?_

But since Lovino couldn't answer in the way he wanted to, he just shrugged.

"People are probably just jealous." Antonio reassured.

Hours past, and they spent their time eating sweets and 'talking'; also known as Lovino writing notes, and passing them to Antonio. Lovino finally passed a note saying that he needed to get home, but failed to include the reason.

Antonio held Lovino's hand as they walked back to Lovino's house, and Lovino, as usual, kept a small distance between them.

"When are you going to talk?"

Lovino merely shook his head, and kept walking.

Antonio sighed, and looked down.

The walk back to Lovino's house was short and sweet. And quiet, of course.

They stopped at the doorstep, and a long, awkward silence stayed between the two for several moments before Lovino was pulled into a hug.

_Oh no. no no no no no!_

There was no doubt Antonio could feel Lovino's chest. And if he had ever hugged a girl before, he'd be able to tell that they were fake. Hopefully he just thought he was stuffing…

"Goodbye Cali." Antonio grinned as he pulled away from the hug, and waved as he started to walk to his house.

"Yeah..Goodbye.." he mumbled quietly and walked inside, taking off his wig as soon as he shut the door.

* * *

**A/N: Yay! I updated! And I didn't have time to proof read it, as i was in a hurry to post it... Hopefully its alright.**


	3. Chapter 3

Lovino stayed up late that night, thinking. Things had started getting complicated in the past two days, and to make things worse, Lovino was thinking about gender. _Again. _

Every month or so, he'd question his gender for the hundredth time, but he always came up with the same answer: Male.

He always felt strange, though. Calling himself a boy. It was weird. But calling himself a girl seemed weird, too. As did nonbinary. He didn't know what he wanted anymore.

He wished he was a girl, though. So we wouldn't have to make an effort to fill out his dresses, or sew his own gloves to fit his hands. Or have to have his friend sneak out and buy him make up.

Or even if he identified as a girl, he could still say 'I'm a girl,' when people asked, and wouldn't have to say 'I'm a boy,' while wearing a dress. …which obviously earned him some weird looks.

Nonbinary wouldn't be that great, though. Nonbinary's were ahead of their time. Today's society wasn't ready yet, which was highly unfortunate.

He still wished he was a girl.

.

The next morning, he awoke to his parents already gone. They probably forgot to wake him up.

Perhaps today was a good day to hang out with Antonio as a boy.

He opened his closet, his eyes scavenging for something he actually liked. This was a wasted effort, however.

His parents were in charge of buying him his clothes, so of course there was nothing he liked.

Every single article of clothing screamed, 'Hey! I'm a boy! I have an X and a Y chromosome! I'm so manly! Did I mention I was a boy!?'

His closet was full of button down shirts, cargo pants and shorts, suits and dress shirts, and other typically masculine things. Blah.

Meanwhile, all his dresses, shoes, gloves, purses, and anything considered feminine, had its place under his bed so no one could find it.

He wished it was reversed.

His room was blue, too. And there were baseballs painted on the walls from when he was a kid. Why did he have to have _baseballs _in his room? He didn't even like baseball. Now that he thought of it, he didn't like any sports. Not even when he was younger.

What did baseballs even have to do with boys, anyways? Because there was the word 'ball' in it? Everything that had the word ball in it seemed to be associated with males. Football? Baseball? Basketball? Yup, all of it was connected to boys apparently. …Because apparently anything to do with balls had to do with boys.

He chuckled at his own thought.

If that was a thing he said out loud, he'd probably be grounded. If his parents even got the joke, that is. They seemed pretty innocent. Well… his grandpa wasn't _that _Innocent.

He remembered the task at hand and finally picked out an outfit.

Button down shirt, jeans… simple, and it didn't make it look like he was trying to look good.

He changed as quickly as possible, and rushed into the bathroom to comb his hair.

Ugh. He was ugly. Absolutely disgusting. Boy's clothing was so dull!

He scrunched up his nose in utter disgust, and sat the brush back down on the bathroom counter. He looked weird without makeup or long hair, despite he was born this way, and had to dress like this for the majority of the time.

He didn't want to look at himself anymore.

He sighed and made his way to the front door, opening it and taking a deep breath. He didn't have to worry about getting home before his parents, today.

Shutting the door behind him, he put his hands in his pockets and walked the short distance to Antonio's house.

He'd have to try and forget what happened yesterday. If he mentioned anything about Cali, or mentioned any of the things Antonio told him yesterday, he'd be done for.

He knocked on the door, and he heard a few dogs barking. Ugh, he didn't like dogs.

The door was opened by an unfamiliar person; a woman in her late twenties or early thirties with long, dark brown hair opened the door. "Yes?" she said, her voice monotone.

"Is Antonio here?"

"First door to the left in the hall." She said before disappearing inside.

"…Okay…" he walked in and closed the door behind him, making his way into the hall.

Since almost every house in this neighborhood had the same design, it was easy to find his way around Antonio's house. It was the same as him, except it was decorated differently, obviously. And… it felt more relaxing here than it did at his house. Weird…

He got to Antonio's door, and knocked.

"Who is it?"

"It's...its Lovino," He stuttered.

"Oh! Lovino, come in!"

Lovino opened the door, and took a small step inside.

Antonio's room was painted bright orange, with posters hanging all over the walls. Were those… Christmas lights hanging from the ceiling? Yes, yes they were.

"I'm glad you decided to come hang out. How's Cali?" He grinned and stood up from his bed, which Lovino noticed had zebra striped sheets. _Why?_

"…She's good." This may not have been the best choice.

"Good… um... I have a few questions for you, about Cali. I really like her, but she won't talk to me..."

"Oh, huh, I wonder why…" his fake innocence was terrible, and quite obviously fake. But he couldn't do much better at the time.

"She's a nice girl, though. She writes little notes to me instead of talking, and she acts and dresses like a princess." Antonio smiled and looked down at the ground.

Princess was a very nice compliment, so he smiled a bit. But the smile was quickly replaced with a frown when he remembered he was Lovino right now. "So...What're your questions?"

"Oh, right, well, I was wondering if Cali has said anything about me at home."

"Oh yeah, she's told me about you."

"Does she like me?"

"She has a huge crush on you. Seriously... she's really, _really _into you." This was almost painful. When he said she, he really meant he, and was referring to himself. And he didn't like it, it was like lying.

"Yes!" Antonio grinned, and sat back down on his bed, patting the bed next to him. "You can sit down if you'd like."

"…Thank you." Lovino hesitantly walked over to the bed. This was awkward, but if he wanted to become friends with Antonio, he'd have to step out of his comfort zone. And that meant sitting next to him.

"So you're okay with me dating your sister, right?"

Oh, so they were dating now? That would've been some good information to have.

"Of course." He looked down. It was hard keeping this a secret.

"I have one more question. It's kind of personal for her though, and I didn't want to ask directly, but I needed to know..." Antonio said quietly.

He wasn't sure what this next would be, but Lovino was sure it wouldn't be good.

"What pronouns does Cali prefer?"

Lovino coughed to disguise a surprised gasp. He wasn't expecting that. "Excuse me?"

"Your sister isn't…Um… Cali wasn't..." Antonio struggled to find the right words. "Wasn't born with girl…uh… parts. Correct?"

_Oh no._

"..What?" Lovino looked down.

"Cali is Trans…isn't she? Or they...or he…"

"…Cali prefers feminine pronouns, yes. And yes, she's a girl." Lovino said quickly.

Antonio grinned. "Well, since she's probably pre-everything, my sister could give her some advice!"

Lovino couldn't be more lost right now. "Wait, what? Is your sister transgender?"

"Oh, yeah, I kinda left that out, didn't I?"

_Oh. _So _that's_ why Antonio was so cool with the idea. So he'd probably be cool with a crossdressing dude, right? But what if Antonio was straight? As far as Antonio knew, Cali was a girl. And if Antonio was straight…

So he wasn't out of the woods quite yet.

He decided he'd just try to make friends with Antonio, and continue to keep Cali's identity a secret."

"So what should we do now? Play video games, watch TV, go outside…just talk... what do you want to do?"

"What?"

"Well, we're friends, aren't we?" Antonio smiled, "We should do something that friend's do."

Lovino never really had a friend who was a guy. He seemed to get along with girls better. Well… hopefully this would work out.

.

The day flew by, and it was starting to get dark.

"I should probably go..." Lovino sighed and stood up.

"Oh, okay," Antonio stood up as well. "I had a lot of fun."

"I did too…" He smiled.

"That's good to hear," He grinned and pulled him into a hug.

Lovino hugged back. It was nice, being able to hug him without him being afraid of being found out.

"You and your sister give nice hugs."

Lovino sighed, "Thanks, I guess."

He still wasn't sure how long he'd be able to keep this up…

* * *

**A/N: This is the fastest i've ever updated. Woah. Not even twenty-four hours. Anyways, As a side note, I'd like to thank my wonderful girlfriend Dani for giving me a few ideas for this fic, and helping me start the begining of chapter one. (I had a lot of trouble starting it, so without her, this fic might not even exist ahhh) And also SecretPrussianCitizen who gives me wonderful feedback on so many of my fics (you should check out their profile, too. They write wonderful stories~)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter warning: Homophobic slur.**

* * *

The water dripped off his body as he stepped out of out of the hot shower.

The large mirror was covered in condensation, blurring Lovino's view of himself. It was rather metaphoric, actually. A mirror blurring how Lovino saw himself.

He sighed and grabbed the towel, and wiped off the mirror; making slow horizontal swipes in an attempt to not smudge the mirror.

As soon as the mirror was mostly clean, however, he regretted it. "Ugly faggot." He hissed through gritted teeth at his reflection. It wasn't his face he was talking to, oh no, that was fine. It was his body. Boney and unappealing.

He could see some of his ribcage poking out under the skin. Despite how he ate, he still looked like he was starved. His hips poked out a bit, too.

He didn't have much muscle, either. He didn't mind much, especially since it helped him when he dressed like a girl. But it made him look like an awkward, underdeveloped and lanky twelve year old boy.

It pissed him off he only got compliments when he was a girl.

He rolled his eyes and decided to brush it off for now. He didn't need this type of negativity, even though he was the one who thought it.

Why did he call himself a faggot, anyways? That was a new one.

He wondered if Antonio thought he was beautiful as a boy, too, but then remembered Antonio was most likely straight.

He put the bra straps over his shouldered and reached behind him to hook the back together. this wasn't much of a chore though, he'd been doing it long enough.

He sighed and glanced at himself in the mirror again. Do you know how ridiculous a skinny seventeen year old boy looked in a 34B bra? Or in any bra, really. But it looked weird to him, anyways.

He grabbed a roll of toilet paper and began tearing off multiple squares at a time before stuffing them into the bra. He was a master at this now.

Today he decided to go for a more casual, less Lolita like look. So a yellow sundress is what he decided on, along with white stockings to disguise his knobby, unfeminine knees.

He pulled his bangs back, and pinned them back with a hairclip.

Now for the usual makeup; subtle eyeliner, light pink lipstick, and a bit of blush. Nothing too big, but enough to make him feel, and look, more feminine.

Luckily since his hair was roughly the same color of his wig, he didn't have to use a wig cap. He just needed to tuck his bangs in. this also made his hair a little less messy than if he used a wig cap.

"Alright, let's do this…" he'd received a text from Antonio early this morning to ask if he… Well, Cali, wanted to go on a date to the mall. He stepped out from the bathroom and—

"Feli!" What was he doing here? He was supposed to be at day camp!

"…Lovi? What are you doing? Why are dressed like a girl?" Feliciano backed away from him slowly, his eyes filled with confusion as he looked him over.

How did he even reply to that? 'Oh, Yeah, By the way your brother is a crossdresser.' He wasn't even sure if Feli knew what that meant, as sheltered as he was. The only reason he knew about different sexualities was because he'd heard of the GSA.

"I…" Lovino started, but couldn't find the words. "Don't tell Mom and Grandpa!"

"Why not?"

"they'd kill me! I'm serious, if they find out, they'll kick me out. Please promise me you won't tell. "

"But—"

"Promise me!" Lovnino growled. He hated taking that sort of tone with his brother… But desperate times called for desperate measures.

Feliciano jumped, his eyes widening as Lovino growled. "I Promise!"

"You better keep that promise." Lovino mumbled. "What are you doing here anyways? I thought you were at camp."

Felciano looked down. It was _extremely _weird talking to your brother when he was dressed like a girl for no apparent reason. "I didn't feel too good, so I decided to walk home."

"Okay.. go get some rest, then. I hope you feel better soon. And remember, don't tell anyone. Not even Piero. Or Kiku, or Ludwig. You understand?"

Feliciano nodded quickly and pushed passed him to his room.

"That was close… And now the blabber mouth knows. This isn't good… hopefully he understands how important this is…" Lovino mumbled to himself and walked stormed out the front door. Great, now the roof over his head, and his chance to go to college was at risk. He took a few deep breaths before walking down the sidewalk to Antonio's house, and knocked on the door again.

The same woman from yesterday answered the door. "Are you Cali?"

Lovino nodded.

The lady turned around and yelled something down the hallway, and he assumed it was in Spanish.

Antonio peeked his head out of his room before stumbling out of his room and down the hall.

He was such an ungraceful dork…

"Hi Cali!" He grinned. Even his smile was dorky. Lopsided and cute, and he had dimples. _Dimples._

Lovino waved slightly, and smiled.

There was a brief pause before Antonio leaned up to whisper something in his sister's, or rather his assumed sister's, ear.

She rolled her eyes and reached in her pocket, pulling out a small ring of keys.

"Thanks Sis!" He grabbed his hand and pulled him out the door, his grin still present.

"So, we're going to the mall, right?" Antonio glanced at him as they walked down to the road where a shiny red car was parked.

Lovino nodded and let out a quiet, disappointed sigh as Antonio let go of his hand to get into the driver's seat.

Lovino slowly walked over to the other side of the car to sit in the passenger seat.

He got in and shut the door. The car was obviously new. The seats were slick and, and the dashboard was clear of any dust.

"Nice, isn't it?" Antonio asked as he started the car.

Lovino nodded and looked out the window. The window didn't even look like a window; it looked like there was an empty hole in the car. That how ridiculously clean the car was.

"So I hung out with your brother yesterday," Antonio began as he started down the road. "He's a really cool guy."

'Cool.' At least that was better than nothing…

"Um... Quick question, why won't you talk? Is it because you think your voice is too deep? Because I don't mind…" He said reassuringly with a smile.

Lovino shook his head. He _would _talk, but he wasn't able to change his voice enough to conceal the fact that he was actually Lovino, not Cali.

He glanced at him and sighed. "Alright… I'd really like to hear your voice, though."

The rest of the ride was spent in silence. It was obvious Antonio was disappointed, and it was obvious Lovino was hiding something.

It was a wonder Antonio hadn't already figured it out. How could a wig, a dress, and a little bit of makeup make that much of a difference?

They pulled into the mall parking lot, and Antonio found a place to park.

"…Do you plan on talking soon?" He asked as they got out of the car.

Lovino sighed shakily, and slowly walked over to him. He was going to do it. Right here, right now. He could do this.

Antonio looked confused as Lovino pressed a kiss against his cheek.

He figured if Antonio decided he hated him, or even just stopped liking him after this, he should at _least _fit in a kiss on the cheek.

Lovino took a deep breath, and slowly pulled the wig off of his head, combing his fingers through his bangs.

"Lovino..."

"Cali doesn't exist." Lovino mumbled, keeping his eyes on the ground, afraid of what Antonio's expression might be right now.

"…Why?"

"I didn't think you'd like me if I told you the truth." He said bluntly.

Another long silence was shared between the two, before Antonio pulled Lovino into a hug. "I still like you."

Lovino froze. A grin appeared on his face, and he hugged him back. He hugged him as tightly as he could. It was a great feeling, hugging Antonio. Not as Cali, and not as just a friend.

The embrace lasted for two or three minutes as Lovino refused to let go of him. As soon as he did, though, he opened up the car door and threw the wig into the back seat. He didn't want to be Cali anymore. He wanted to be Lovino, if he was in a dress or not.

Anotnio kept close to him as they walked through the parking lot to the mall. "So you thought I was straight?..."  
"Yeah…"

"Well you were wrong… I'm Bi." Antonio smiled.

"You had me really stressed out, you ass." He chuckled.

"Sorry."

"I forgive you."

"…So, what pronouns do you want me to use?"


	5. Chapter 5

**Warning: Transphobic slurs, and general transphobia.**

* * *

"So you made a new friend?"

"Yeah. He lives right next door, and he's super nice."

"Oh, The new boy?"

"Yeah…"

Lovino's stepmother frowned, and leaned over to whisper to his Grandpa. "I heard their other son is a tranny."

Piero moved closer to Feli, "What's a tranny?" he asked quietly.

Feliciano lightly kicked his foot as a way to say 'not now'.

"Does he have any siblings?" Lovino's grandpa asked.

"Yeah, but they don't live there. _She _lives in _her _apartment a few miles away," He lied.

"Good. I don't want him to influence our Lovi." Lovino's stepmom whispered to his Grandpa again.

Lovino balled his fists under the table. _Stop calling her a he! _"So can I spend the night at Antonio's?"

"Of course, Darling."

"Thank you." He mumbled through gritted teeth. He grabbed his plate and stood up from the dinner table.

_Ignorant jerks… _

He walked into the kitchen, and carefully put his plate in the sink.

Why did he have to ask for permission to go over there anyways? He was seventeen, practically an adult. And why did he have to be born into this family? Why did his grandpa have to marry this witch, who made his life that much more miserable.

Whatever, he was going over to Antonio's house know. The only place where he could be himself.

He hurried out the door, gently closing it behind him. He took a deep breath of fresh summer air, and walked next door to Antonio's. It had been a couple days since he'd told him, but this was the first time he'd gone over in boys clothing. Other than that one time he hung out with Antonio as just friends, that is.

He knocked on the door, and heard a thud from inside, along with an 'ow'.

A few moments later, Antonio opened the door. "Lovi!" He grinned. "so you _can _stay the night!"

"What was that thud I heard a second ago?"

"Uh... I tripped while I was on the way to the door."

"Good job, dweeb." He chuckled.

"Yeah, yeah, I know, I'm an ungraceful dork." He laughed.

His laugh was a wonderful sound. It always sounded genuine.

Lovino was swept off his feet, quite literally, as Antonio picked him up bridal style.

"C'mon, Princess." Antonio chuckled as he carried Lovino off to his room, and dropped him onto the bed before closing the door. "Wanna cuddle and watch a movie?"

Lovino nodded. "Of course, my Prince."

Antonio grabbed the television remote off of the bedside table and switched off the lights, leaving only the Christmas lights hanging from his ceiling on.

"Oh how romantic." Lovino rolled his eyes and smiled.

"Exactly." He flopped onto the bed next to him and smiled. "I already have a movie."

"Oh? What is it?"

"…I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once."

"Don't you dare."

"Why not?"

"I just got over the book." Lovino huffed.

"Well I'm cheesy, so you'll have to deal with it. And maybe that's not what we're watching."

"What do you mean? You quoted it…"

"Perhaps I was just talking to you," Antonio propped himself up on his elbow and smiled.

"Are you suggesting you're in love with me?"

"Maybe."

"Well then, my love, I think it's time to kiss me," Lovino smirked.

Before either of them could say anything, Antonio rolled over on top of him and kissed him.

Lovino kissed back, and in that moment, everything was okay. His arms snaked around Antonio's waist, and it was perfect.

Antonio unbuttoned Lovino's shirt slowly, hesitantly pulling away from the kiss so Lovino could pull off his shirt.

_I hope he isn't disgusted with how I look shirtless… he's so much more muscular than I am. _Lovino thought.

Antonio trailed his fingers down Lovino's chest with a smile. "You're beautiful." His voice was soft. Softer than normal, that is. If Lovino could describe him in one word right now, it would be heaven.

Not perfect, like most would describe their significant other at their best. He would say heaven, because Antonio was his sanctuary. He was his perfect, beautiful sanctuary that was for him, and him only.

The way he looked in the warm, dim light was driving Lovino crazy in the best possible way.

His chest was filled with… almost a shuddering feeling. And it wasn't his heart beating.

"So are you."

"Oh, but you are the _most_ beautiful."

Antonio pressed kisses over Lovino's chest, his eyelashes fluttering against him everytime he blinked.

Now that he thought about it, Antonio was more like an angel. An angel that had come to save him when he was at his lowest low, and when he was near giving up he came and swept him off his feet.

"Lovino Vargas."

"Yes?" Lovino replied breathlessly.

"I love you."

"I love you too, Angel."

"Angel?'

"Yes, you're my angel."

…

Their almost naked bodies pressed together under the blanket, quiet breaths and synchronized heartbeats were the only things that could be heard.

Lovino reached up to play with Antonio's hair as he lay on his chest.

They hadn't done anything other than kiss and touch, actually. But it still left them in an afterglow of happiness. Just feeling each other was enough for them. They didn't want to go further, not now, at least.

"It seems like I've known you for years even though its only been a week," Lovino mused.

"I know…"

"I also feel like I've been in love with you for millions and millions of years, even though I've only truly fallen for you tonight; yesterday I love you, and now I'm _in _love with you."

"You're very good with words, Lovi."

"It isn't hard when your heart is the one speaking them."

"Your words sound like they're quotes, but they aren't. I love that about you. You can turn something as simple as a single word into Shakespeare."

"I guess," Lovino smiled. "Whatever you say."

Antonio traced circles on Lovino's hip, "And then you turn around and say something like 'whatever'. _Very _poetic." He chuckled.

…

Early the next morning, Lovino returned home. Only for a short while, though, to change into a dress. He was uncomfortable in these clothes, and needed a break.

With a grin, he walked into his room and noticed his room, which was usual pretty neat, was even cleaner than normal.

"Huh... Feli must have decided to help me out and clean…"

Upon further inspection, he noticed his closet had more things in it as well. And the sheets on his bed had been changed… before, they were green. Now they were blue. They didn't own any blue sheets that he was aware of.

He got on his hands and knees, and reached under his bed.

_No._

He fell flat on his stomach, which now had a horrible, sinking feeling, and looked under the bed.

It was gone.

All of it.

The dresses, the purses, his wig, his makeup, his shoes…

_Everything was gone._

Every cent he made since middle school went to his clothing, his only escape, his only way to express himself. And it was gone.

Every inch of lace, every frill and every buckle, was gone.

He couldn't believe it.

What he did see under his bed, however, was a note.

He snatched it from under the bed, and looked at it. It was in his stepmother's handwriting.

_'Sweetie. Feliciano told us about your little secret. You should have just asked us for help! I know you have some issues in your head right now, but we're going to make it all better. But to do that, we had to take away your things. I know you're probably upset, but it's for your own good. But all your… secret items… will be put to good use, and will be sold to pay for your therapy. I love you darling! xoxo'_

His heart dropped when he read the first word, and shattered as he continued reading. His head started to ache, and he felt heavy all of the sudden as his cheeks became stained with salty water in the form of tears.

So many emotions rushed through him right now, and none of them were good.

He was upset that Feliciano told on him, and upset by his stepmother's reaction.

He was upset his stepmom thought he had a mental illness just because he liked girl's clothing, and he was upset that she's planning on trying to fix something that isn't broken.

But he was heartbroken by the fact his grandpa didn't even try to stop her, and he was heartbroken that all his things were gone. He was heartbroken that they were selling _his _dresses and forcing him to go to therapy. Those dresses _were _his therapy.

But the worst part is that after that, she still claimed to love him.

He crumpled up the note and threw it across the room, screaming. He yelled multiple profanities at the wall, before doubling over and sobbing.

Nothing. Nothing could make this okay right now.

His pain seemed to cripple him. Or at least take away his will to move. Right now he only had one person he could turn to.

With shaky hands he reached into his pocket, pulling out his cell phone.

As his fingers shook, it was hard for him to dial Antonio's number. But after some struggling, he finally succeeded.

The phone seemed to ring for minutes, even though Antonio picked up in a matter of seconds.

Lovino wouldn't call unless it was an emergency. If he needed to talk, he'd just walk on pver. He was coming back anyways… "Lovi? What's wrong?"

The words got stuck in Lovino's throat. "Its...It's gone, Antonio..." He managed to choke out.

"What's gone? Lovino?"

Silence.

"Lovino!"

"Everything…my dresses—A..Anything that's girly, th-they took it away," He sobbed.

Antonio balled his hands into fists. Lovino's voice sounded strained, and it had the most emotion Antonio had ever heard. This wasn't a good thing, however. Lovino was in agony. And now it sounded like he was hyperventilating, now.

"Lovino… I'll be right over, okay? Don't put down the phone. Got it?"

"Okay…" Lovino coughed.

* * *

**A/N: Alright, feel free to kill me now-**


	6. Chapter 6

"Lovino!" Antonio called as he shut Lovino's front door. When he heard sobbing, he followed the sound to get to Lovino's room.

"Antonio…" He whimpered.

Without saying another word, Antonio picked Lovino up and carried him outside to his car, setting him in the front seat.

"What…?"

Antonio got in sat in the front seat with an expressionless face, and kept his eyes on the road as he started driving.

"Where…Where are we going?"

Antonio didn't answer.

Ten long, silent minutes passed before they arrived at the mall.

"…Antonio…" Lovino looked at him and frowned, "You don't have to…"

"I know I don't _have _to. Lets go." Without even casting a glance at Lovino, he got out of the car and slammed the door behind him.

Before this moment, Lovino wasn't even sure Antonio was able to get that angry. Normally he was cheerful and optimistic. Now…Well…

Lovino quickly followed, and wiped his eyes.

As they got into the mall, Antonio grabbed Lovino's hand and pulled him into a boutique. Antonio still didn't talk as he guided Lovino into the women's section.

Surrounding them were many pretty dresses. With floral prints and frills, lace and small leather belts around the waist.

"Do you like this one?" Antonio held up a pale pink peplum blouse, with a light brown belt and gold buckle.

"Yes, But—"

"Okay." Antonio handed it to him, then walking down the aisle a bit. "what about this?" This time, he held up a frilly white dress.

Lovino nodded. He knew if he protested, Antonio would just quiet him, and continue on.

Forty-five minutes later Lovino was carrying a pile of clothes, which was getting quite heavy by now. Ten dresses, five blouses, a few undergarments, a purse, and a pair of shoes.

"Are you sure all of these are the right size?"

Lovino nodded.

"Okay, good." Antonio grinned and led him to the checkout counter, and pulled out his wallet.

"Antonio…"

"Hush. Now put the clothes on the counter."

Lovino sighed, and dropped the clothes onto the counter. "You're ridiculous."

"I am not." Antonio grinned, "Hey, Lovi, you get me a soda? Cherry, please."

"Okay..."

Lovino walked back down the end of the checkout aisle, and opened the small fridge. He glanced back at Antonio, who was handing the cashier a credit card. He was very, very greatful to Antonio for buying him new things… but… where would he put all thise? His stepmother would just find them again anyways. It wasn't worth it. He didn't like Antonio spending this much on him, anyways…

He grabbed a cherry soda before returning to Antonio.

Antonio handed the soda to the cashier before turning to smile at Lovino. "Are you okay?"

Lovino nodded, and kept his eyes on the ground.

"Good. Now, help me carry these." He handed him a few bags, while he took the other two.

After the cashier handed back his credit card, he put it back in his wallet.

"Alright, ready?"

Lovino nodded again, and waited for Antonio to lead the way. He didn't remember where the car was parked, anyway.

…

Lovino set the bags in trunk, before joining Antonio in the car.

"…Thank you."

"Lovino, It's no big deal."

"No, Really. _Thank you. _You really are an angel…"

Antonio rolled his eyes and started driving again, "You're welcome, my princess."

Lovino smiled and looked out the window. "I love it when you call me that."

"Really? Well then, beautiful, I'll call you that every day."

* * *

**A/N: Ahhhh sorry this one is so short! i just wasn't sure what else to do... i'm having a slight writers block, as well. I most likely won't be updating tomorrow... I'm gonna spend the night at my sisters house. ****_But _****I have some good news, too. I'm writing a companion fic to this, its PruHun, and its called ****_Button Ups And Boxers _****and will be posted in just a few minutes after i post this. So... Go check that out, too! Thank you!**


	7. Chapter 7

_Knock, knock, knock._

"Who is it?" Lovino mumbled.

He had just gotten back from he and Antonio's little shopping trip about an hour ago, and was now laying on his bed, simply staring at the ceiling. Antonio said he could leave all his new things at his house, so they'd be protected, so he did.

"Its…Its Feliciano…"

Lovino frowned and sat up. _Why did he think it was okay to talk to him right now? _"Come in."

Feli slowly opened the door and stepped in, closing the door gently behind him. He opened his mouth to say something, but Lovino cut him off.

"Sorry isn't gonna cut it. Why did you tell? You promised me. You've never broken a promise before. You knew how important it was, why did you have to ruin my life? Now I have go to therapy because of you, you jerk."

Feliciano sighed, and walked closer to him.

"Stop. Tell me why."

"It..Just slipped out…I'm really, really sorry! You know how I am! I can't keep big secrets like that, it tears me apart!" Feliciano looked down solemnly.

"I don't care! You had a responsibility! You know what tears _me _apart? The fact that you betrayed me. And that oh, you know, I can't be myself. But I guess it's no big deal. What else did you tell them? That I'm pansexual?"

"Oh, no, Lovi, I would never!"

"What's the difference? Is it because you're into guys too? So you can sympathize with me on that? Don't be stupid. Why is telling them I'm pansexual so bad, but my crossdressing isn't?"

Feliciano fell silent, and sat on the edge of Lovino's bed. "…I have a boyfriend."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Nothing… I just wanted to share a secret, since I told yours."

"Oh, so, should I tell Grandpa? And our stepmom? I'm sure they won't…say, send you to therapy and keep you from seeing him." Lovino growled.

"…I'm really sorry. I just… I don't know." Feliciano's lip quivered, and he rubbed his eyes.

Lovino sighed, and crawled over to sit next to him. "…I'm sorry I got that I scolded you."

"No, Don't apologize—"

"It was an accident, right?"

Feliciano nodded.

"Okay. I'm still mad at you… But I forgive you."

Feli's eyes widened, and he hugged his brother tightly. "Thank you!"

"You're welcome." A slight smile came across Lovino's lips, "I have another secret too. But if you tell anyone, I'll murder you."

"What is it…?"

"I have a boyfriend, too. It's Antonio. Remember we talked about him at dinner. I spent the night at his house last night." Right after he said that, he realized it didn't sound very good. But he couldn't take it back now.

There was a long pause, and Feliciano pulled away from the hug.

"You…_Spent the night_ at your…_boyfriend's_ house."

"Nothing happened."

"Nothing?"

"…We made out."

"That's as far as it went?"

"…And we got mostly naked."

"How naked?" Feliciano frowned.

"Boxers," Lovino said, quickly adding, "But the boxers stayed on the entire time, I promise."

"Good." Feliciano let out a relieved sigh. "My boyfriend's name is Ludwig. He's the president of the newspaper club, which I help run. Our friend Kiku is in it too. Ludwig is so nice and dreamy… he has blond hair that he always slicks back, and he's very muscular. His brother is cool too! Gilbert is still just thinking about joining the newspaper club. But he said he might join the swimming club, too, since his girlfriend is in it. But he seems reluctant. I don't know why though. Maybe he's insecure or something and doesn't want to be seen in a swimsuit… he looks really hot though, why would he be—"

"Feliciano, you're rambling again."

"Oh. Sorry…"

"Its fine," He chuckled. "My Boyfriend is… Odd. His room is bright orange, and he has zebra striped sheets. And if that doesn't tell you he's weird, I don't know what will. He's nice, though. And sweet. We just met a week ago…But…"

"It feels like it's been longer?"

"Yeah… How did you know? That's what it's like with Ludwig."

…

The next day, at exactly twelve PM, Lovino received a text from some unknown number, saying, 'Meet us in the park, under the pine tree, at one o'clock sharp.'

Who could that be? He didn't have any friends, let alone any _group _of people. The text said _us._

Regardless, he decided he'd go anyways. Maybe he'd invite Antonio…

He was home alone again, so he didn't have to sneak out or explain where he was going.

He walked outside, he saw Antonio's sister walking out of their house.

"…Did you get the text too?" She asked loudly.

"Yeah!"

This was really weird. Two people living next to each other get the same text, telling them to meet up with some strangers.

She quickly walked over to the sidewalk In front of Lovino's house. "I'm surprised _you _got the text."

"What do you mean? Do you know who sent it?"

"You'll see. Let's go, we don't want to be late."

"…Okay?"

…

Ten minutes later they arrived at the park. Under the pine tree, there was a picnic table with five people already sitting there.

"You guys are late!" A boy with white hair called at them with a grin.

Lovino recognized him from school, and identified him to be Gilbert.

"Sorry." Antonio's sister said flatly, and sat down at the picnic bench, leaving a spot for Lovino.

Lovino hesitantly sat down. _What did they all have in common?_

"Shall we do introductions?" That must be Elizabeta. "I'm Elizabeta, sixteen, and I'm a cisgendered female."

"I'm Gilbert, I'm fifteen, and I'm a trans man. I've been out for a month, and I've known that I'm trans for five months."

"I'm Matthew, I'm a trans man as well, I'm sixteen, and I've known I was different since I was eleven. I've been out for two years."

"I'm Kiku, I'm nonbinary, I'm fifteen years old, and I've been out for a year. Please use 'they' pronouns when referring to me."

"I'm…I'm Lili, I'm thirteen and a half, and I'm genderqueer. I've been out for a month. I've known since I was twelve. You may use any pronouns."

"I'm Maria, I'm thirty years old, I'm a trans woman, and I'm fully transitioned, and have been for four years."

Finally, it was Lovino's turn. What was he supposed to say?

"Uh… I'm Lovino, I'm seventeen years old…and… I'm a cisgendered male, I guess? I crossdress, though. And I have since middle school."

Little did he know, he'd make friends with all of these people. And he'd be hanging out with them _a lot_

* * *

**A/N: I updated twice today to make up for not being able to update tomorrow... so bonus for you guys! and two important things happened; double bonus. And are we seriously at chapter seven already? whoa... I'm sad to announce there's only a few more chapter's left!**


	8. Chapter 8

"So, Lovino, why do you like girl's clothing?"

"It's pretty."

"Is that it?"

"Yes sir."

Lovino had been sitting in this office for twenty minutes. The said twenty minutes were spent making 'Friends' with his therapist.'

"Why don't you like men's clothing?"

"I just don't."

Right here, right now.

That was the definition of hell.

"Are you a boy?"

"Yes."

He hated answering these questions. He didn't even have the answer to these questions himself.

"Do you want to be a girl?"

"No."

He had to lie, too. Because anything he said would be told to his parents.

"Then why do you want to dress like one?"

"Why are we giving clothes a gender, Sir?"

This was ridiculous. This wasn't even a _good _therapist. This was some crappy, conservative therapist that couldn't do any better than a regular person could.

Tick, tock, tick, tock.

Lovino kept his eyes on the clock as he continued to answer these stupid, stupid questions.

Half an hour left.

Twenty minutes left.

Fifteen…

Ten..

Five…

_Finally._

His hour of hell was over, and he could finally leave.

"See you next week?"

"Yeah, I guess." Lovino mumbled, his voice bitter.

He walked out to the waiting room where his stepmother was. "Oh Lovi dear! How did it go? Did you have fun?"

_Well it wasn't Chucky Cheese… _Lovino thought. Oh how he wanted to say that out loud. He decided that was a bad idea, though.

"It was okay."

"Good! Shall we go, then?"

"Yes Mother," Lovino said flatly as he headed for the door. He wanted to get out of here. _Now. _

…

The first half of the car ride was spent in silence, the latter half was spent having to make up lies about his life. Ah, yes, the definition of fun; telling your evil stepmother lies about your personal life.

"So… You'll be going to college soon."

"Yeah.

"Do you have a girlfriend?"

"Not yet."

"Have you made any new friends?"

"No."

After this point, Lovino stopped paying attention. To what she said, to what he said, to everything.

He didn't know how long it took them to get home, but they were finally there.

"Now, I have to go to work. Feli and Piero are both at camp. But your grandfather has the day off!"

Her voice was painfully cheerful. Her voice almost sang, and it was terrible. She shouldn't be this happy.

"Alright," He got out of the car. "Thank you."

Slam.

He probably shouldn't have done that. Slamming a door was always a no-no for him, but at this point, he didn't even care.

Without taking a glance at his stepmother, he walked into the house.

"Lovino, I'm sorry." There was his Grandpa, Romulus, leaning against the hallway wall.

"About what?" Again, Lovino knew. He just wanted to know what the answer would be.

"Your things. It was your mother's,"

"Stepmother's." Lovino quickly corrected him.

"…Right. Your stepmother's idea and… I played along. I'm sorry."

"Sorry isn't gonna cut it, gramps."

"…Come with me." Romulus walked down the hallway to the stairs to the attic. Why was he going up there?

Lovino decided to quench the thirst of his curiosity, and follow him. And that he did.

It was dusty up there, but neat. Every box was perfectly placed around the edges of the large room, all written on neatly in permanent marker to tell what was in them.

By the one, cloudy window, there was a large wooden chest, with a big iron lock. The lock, however, was unlocked.

Romulus blew over the top of the chest, and a cloud of dust arose from it.

"What's in there?"

"This is your mother's chest."

"My real mom or my fake mom?"

"Lovi… Don't call her fake just because she isn't your birth mother. This is your birth mother's chest."

All those years, and he had thought they had nothing from their mother. Thinking that all of it had been thrown away to destroy any memory of her. Why didn't he ever tell him about this? Did Feliciano know? Did Piero?

"Why didn't I know about this?"

"You weren't supposed to know until you were eighteen. But to make up for what happened, I'm letting you see a few months early." Romulus opened the chest, and stepped back so Lovino could see.

The chest was packed neatly, just like the rest of the attic. It was filled with books and clothes, letters and sewing supplies. "Where do I even start…" Lovino mumbled under his breath.

"Look at the pile of clothes. The first thing is for you."

"Really…?"

Lovino gently picked up the first article of clothing from the pile, and carefully unfolded it.

A pale grey dress with gorgeous, intricate lace at the hems. He had seen pictures of his mother wearing it before, and it was beautiful.

"So… This is for me?"

Romulus nodded, "Your mother noticed that you liked feminine things. She told me to give that to you if you were still interested in such things when you were older."

"But… What if she finds out about this one—"

"She won't. just don't tell anyone about it and it'll be fine."

"Okay... Thank you. Thank you so much…"

* * *

**A/N: Well... here's ****_another _****shorter chapter. But i'll make up for it in the next one! which, i'm sad to say, will be that last. (Excluding the epilogue.)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Warnings: Homophobic behavior, Homophobic slurs, Transphobic slurs.**

**...**

Today was the last day of summer. The last day he would be able to go over to Antonio's house and change into a dress. The last day his parents would be gone, as well as his brothers.

Lovino pulled Antonio into the living room, and sat down by the fireplace.

His family always kept the fire going, even when it was ninety degrees out. No one really knew why, but no one ever talking about it either. It was weird.

And since his parents were gone, he figured it'd be safe to bring Antonio over to _his _house for once.

"So your grandpa gave you a dress that was your mom's?" Antonio asked as he sat down next to him.

"Yeah…" Lovino smiled.

Antonio leaned against him and grinned. "That's good. And you made some new friends?"

"Uh-huh…" His life had improved a lot lately, now that he thought about it. Minus the therapy, and having all his stuff taken away, that is…

"That's good too," Antonio nuzzled him lightly. "And you'll be going to college next Fall…?"

"Yeah. You'll be going around the same time won't you?"

"Yep. We should try and go to the same college."

"Well I'm probably going to be going to a Christian college," He rolled his eyes. "So I doubt you'll wanna go."

"Why a—"

"Parents, Antonio."

"Oh. Yeah.."

"Where are your parents, by the way? I never see them around the house. Or hear about them, for that matter."

"My mom's a fashion designer, and my dad is a CEO of a big company. They aren't around much. But at least we have a lot of money because of it…"

"That sounds nice… in a way. All the people who have to hang out with their parents a lot would think you're lucky, but people whose parents are away a lot would sympathize and realize that it sucks. So it sounds nice to me, but it probably isn't nice to you."

"You hit the nail right on the head, Princess."

"…I love you."

"I love you too, beautiful."

"I'm not beautiful." Lovino said softly.

Antonio sat up, and frowned. "Do my ears deceive me? The fairest of the land, with his gorgeous floral patterned dress—the most cherished, benevolent princess, does not agree that he is, In fact, the most wonderful, beautiful; creature in this world?"

"…No."

"I think you mean yes, my dear. You are the prettiest boy I've ever laid eyes on."

"That's not saying much," Lovino frowned. "Not many boys are 'Pretty'."

"Well then, you are by far the best looking boy I've ever seen." He smiled, "And the prettiest."

"Whatever," Lovino rolled his eyes.

"I'm not lying."

"I never said you were."

Without another word, a kiss was placed upon Lovino's lips, and the kiss was returned against Antonio's.

"Lovino what's this? I found it in your—"

Lovino's stepmother froze in her tracks, and dropped the pale grey dress that was in her hands.

Lovino quickly pulled away from the kiss and stood up. "Mom!" _Oh how it hurt to call her that. _But he didn't have a choice. Why did he even care right now? This was a bad situation. And to make it worse, he noticed the dress on the floor.

And then he realized he was _wearing _a dress, too.

This was _really _bad.

"Lovino Callisto Vargas! What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"What do you mean?" He knew playing innocent wouldn't work, but it was worth a try.

Antonio scrambled to his feet, and started towards the door, "I was just leaving—"

"Don't you dare move," Lovino's stepmother growled. "What were you two doing? Who are you, anyways?"

She was going to find out sooner or later.

"We were kissing, mother. He's my boyfriend. And give me back my dress."

"You don't have a boyfriend, Lovino. You're straight. And this isn't _your _dress. It was your mother's. You're a boy, therefore it _can't _be yours."

"Don't tell me what I am, and don't tell me what I'm not. I'm Pansexual. I have a boyfriend, And I'm a crossdressing boy." Lovino threateningly moved closer, "And I inherited that dress. Its mine, so you can't take it away from me."

"Lovino, sweetheart… being gay is a sin. If you keep this up you'll earn yourself a one way ticket to hell."

"You're wrong. You're always wrong. Why would someone go to hell for loving someone? Bitch…"

"What did you just call me young man?"

"You heard what I said."

Lovino's stepmother picked the dress up off the ground and angrily walked over the fireplace.

"You aren't allowed to see him anymore. He's influencing you to love men and swear. And be a tranny, I'm sure…"

Antonio flinched, especially at the word 'Tranny'. And the fact he may not be able to see his love anymore.

"He's not influencing me! I've always been this way!" Lovino took a step closer, "I love him."

"Two men can't love each other."

"You're so ignorant. It's the same as a man and a woman loving each other."

"Lovino. Be quiet."

"No! You can't keep me from seeing him. There's nothing you can do to stop me. No amount of therapy sessions, sermons, arguments or threats can stop me from doing this. You don't have any power over me.

Lovino's stepmother held the dress over the fireplace. "It's either your 'boyfriend' or your Mother's dress."

"…You wouldn't."

"Which one is it?"

This should be tjhat hard of a decision. The obvious choice would be the living person, not the inanimate object. But that was his Mother's dress. Her _favorite _dress. If she had even gotten a splotch of dirt on it, she acted like it was ruined forever. And it was the only things he actually remembered.

Not to mention it was the only physical object he had of hers.

But Antonio was a real person. A person who was still alive. A person that was his angel; the picture of perfection.

It was time to move on.

He walked over to Antonio, and held onto his arm.

The dress was dropped into the fireplace, the lace was set to flames almost immediately, and the dress followed soon after.

"You chose your own fate. Now get out of my house, both of you."

"But Mom—"

"I'm not going to be the mother of some…some fag."

Before anyone could say anything, Antonio picked Lovino up bridal style and carried him out into the hallway, and out the front door.

"Princess, I swear we'll live happily ever after."

**...**

**A/N: You know how i said i'd make up for the last chapter by making it longer? haha well i was wrong. My goal for every chapter was one-thousand five hundred words, and that obviously didn't happen... Also, this is the last chapter! The ending doesen't seem...ending-y enough to me, but i couldn't figure out where to go from there. But, an Epilogue will be up soon to provide more of an explination of what happened.**


	10. Epilogue

Lovino closed his eyes and smiled. Today was the day.

Feliciano zipped up his brother's dress and smiled. "Are you ready?"

"I've been ready for seven years, Feli."

"Good, now get on out there. You look beautiful." Feliciano clapped his hands together.

Lovino smiled and nodded. He strode over to the door with a grin, and before he could open it, Romulus opened it for him.

"Hi Grandpa…"

"Are you ready?"

"I've been ready forever."

"I'm sure," Romulus smiled. "You look…" There was a hesitant pause, and Romulus seemed to be at a loss of words. "…Beautiful. Your mother would be extremely proud…"

"Thank you. It really means a lot." Lovino looked down and shifted, a bit awkward

Romulus gently grabbed Lovino's arm, leading him to a set of large wooden doors. He knocked on the door lightly, and they were opened from inside by Piero and his girlfriend Sierra.

As the doors were opened, Lovino could see Antonio at the altar.

He looked amazing. White suit with a pale pink tie, and his normally curly, messy hair was combed down for once.

He was beautiful.

Antonio seemed even more stunned, though. His princess finally looked even _more _like a princess than before; Long, pale pink gown with a long veil, and a flower pin in his hair. He was perfect.

Gilbert and their other friend Francis stood behind Antonio, and behind where Lovino would stand was Matthew, and of course, Feliciano.

Since both Antonio and Lovino had more than one person they wanted to have as a best man, they decided they would mix it up, and combine Bridesmaids and the best man. Groomsbutler?

Romulus lead Lovino the rest of the way to the alter before taking a seat in the front row along with Piero, Sierra, Antonio's parents, and Antonio's sister Maria.

Lovino's former stepmother wasn't there.

The world seemed to slow down as Lovino stepped on to the altar. All he saw was Antonio; all he _wanted_ to see was Antonio. Today was their day. And today was the day they would officially be each other's forever.

The only thing keeping them from getting married was college, and Lovino's stepmother. But she was out of the picture.

Almost four years ago, the divorce was finalized.

And both he and Antonio had finished college. _Finally._

"Do you, Antonio Carriedo Fernandez, take Lovino Vargas to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

"I do." A grin had been plastered on Antonio's face for the entirety of the wedding planning, and the wedding itself.

"And do you, Lovino Vargas, take Antonio Carriedo Fernandez to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

Lovino felt his heart racing, and it wasn't the kind of racing he felt when his stepmother threw the dress into the fire, or when he found out all his clothes were gone. Or when Antonio was an hour and a half late to a date and Lovino had almost had a panic attack. He could've been hit by a car, for all he knew.

"I do."

Those may have been the best two words he'd ever said. The best word he'd ever said being 'Yes', and the best _three _words being 'I love you'.

It's funny how all of those had to do with Antonio.

"You may kiss the groom." The priest took a step back and smiled.

"I'm not sure if I'm worthy of your kiss, Princess." Antonio chuckled, and took a small step forward.

"Oh shut up and kiss me, you ungraceful dork." Lovino grabbed Antonio by the waist and pulled him closer, and pressed their lips together.

And just like the prince promised, they lived happily ever after.


End file.
